The first overnight stop
Phakding is a small riverside village at 2,610 m, roughly 8 km and two to three hours' walk from Lukla, and the first overnight stop on nearly every standard Everest Base Camp itinerary. The route actually descends slightly from Lukla's 2,860 m before following the Dudh Koshi river north.
Why it's the standard first night
A short, gentle first day lets trekkers, porters, and gear settle into a rhythm before the terrain steepens toward Namche Bazaar the following day. Starting with an easy day also gives late or delayed Lukla flights a built-in buffer without disrupting the rest of the itinerary.
The walk along the Dudh Koshi
The trail crosses several suspension bridges over the glacial-silt Dudh Koshi river, passing through pine forest and small farming settlements, gaining almost no net elevation despite the visible up-and-down terrain along the riverbank.
What's here
Phakding's teahouses are simple and quiet compared to Lukla or Namche, offering the first proper taste of trail-standard dal bhat and basic rooms, usually without the WiFi or bakery amenities found higher up at Namche.
The next day to Namche
Day two climbs steadily from Phakding through Monjo, the Sagarmatha National Park entry checkpoint where permits are checked, before the steep final ascent into Namche Bazaar at 3,440 m, the trek's first mandatory acclimatisation stop.
Rimijung Monastery
Phakding's own monastery, known locally as Rimijung Monastery, belongs to the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism and is said to have been founded in the 16th century by the Sherpa lama Khempo Dorje. Around ten monks and nuns live and serve there today, and visitors are generally welcome to sit in on daily rituals and meditation sessions, a quieter cultural stop than the larger, more-visited monasteries further up the valley at Tengboche and Pangboche. The river crossing just outside the village, the Hillary Suspension Bridge over the Dudh Koshi, is one of the named suspension bridges trekkers cross on the walk in from Lukla.